Hi
since this is my first post i would like to say great site. i have been looking through it for a few months since i found it and started japanese at uni. keep up the good work.

well ive got a composition i have to do for uni. we have to find a personal ad and write a reply. I would like your feed back on grammer, spelling, anything you can see i should know about as i prolly wouldnt find it myself yet. only been studying this year. we are using the minna no nihongo books, and were up to lesson 6, and lesson 5 of the kanji book. we have to keep to what we have learned at uni(keep that in mind, coz i dont really wanna look like a smarty pants then they ask me how i know this and i look like a complete wank!)
any way sorry for the long post. here it is

I suppose this is correct, but it sounds rather unnatural. Couldn't you shorten it by just writing the beginning kanji (e.g. 月⋅火）?

〜金曜日に大学に行きます。

why is there two に’ｓ im unsure why.

There can be two に's in one sentence. It doesn't sound particularly unnatural. You wrote へ, which is also correct. I don't think this particularly needs revision. に or へ are both able to be used.

im trying to say i will go see cherry-blossoms and go see sumo wrestling.
not sure if i have to say/know how to say "go cherry-blossom viewing and watch sumo wrestling.

You don't sound like you've been studying for very long, so I doubt you know the -te form, as everyone has apparently been showing you.

However, this would sound the most natural. I also don't think お花見をする sounds very well. As far as I've heard, お花見に行く sounds better. Therefore, I would write:

お花見（はなみ）に行って相撲（すもう）を見ます。

Or, if you don't want to use the -te form:

お花見に行きます。相撲を見ます。

one thing thou, what is a "normal" way of ending a letter, like in english we put "yours sincerly" something like that?

In the letters I've seen, if it's formal (which yours seems to be because of your use of the -masu form), you can end it with どうぞよろしくおねがいします。 I've also seen before the ending statement: 「名前」によろしくおつたえください。（つたえください is the very polite command for 'impart,' so it basically says "impart my greetings to [whomever]."

Last edited by phuriku on Sun 05.28.2006 1:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

I suppose this is correct, but it sounds rather unnatural. Couldn't you shorten it by just writing the beginning kanji (e.g. 月⋅火）?

not sure how, havent been taught yet.

〜金曜日に大学に行きます。

why is there two に’ｓ im unsure why.

There can be two に's in one sentence. It doesn't sound particularly unnatural. You wrote へ, which is also correct. I don't think this particularly needs revision. に or へ are both able to be used.

thnx for the clarification

im trying to say i will go see cherry-blossoms and go see sumo wrestling.
not sure if i have to say/know how to say "go cherry-blossom viewing and watch sumo wrestling.
You don't sound like you've been studying for very long, so I doubt you know the -te form, as everyone has apparently been showing you.

However, this would sound the most natural. I also don't think お花見をする sounds very well. As far as I've heard, お花見に行く sounds better. Therefore, I would write:

お花見（はなみ）に行って相撲（すもう）を見ます。

Or, if you don't want to use the -te form:

お花見に行きます。相撲を見ます。

i have to keep it in the confinds of what we have been taught so far this year, and havent come across the -te form yet so i will leave it out this time.

one thing thou, what is a "normal" way of ending a letter, like in english we put "yours sincerly" something like that?

In the letters I've seen, if it's formal (which yours seems to be because of your use of the -masu form), you can end it with どうぞよろしくおねがいします。 I've also seen before the ending statement: 「名前」によろしくおつたえください。（つたえください is the very polite command for 'impart,' so it basically says "impart my greetings to [whomever]."

thnx i really didnt want to end the letter with a simple goodbye

thanks for everyones help so far. this is how it looks ATM
こんにちは さゆみさん。

If you 'd like to say "I am from Adelaide". we rather say アデレードの出身(しゅっしん)です。 you can use 「〜から来ました」 only when you are in front of 2nd person.( when you meet さゆみさん you can use it , but 「〜から来ました」 represents not only your home town/country)

Could you please tell as what " アデレード大学のドクターコースと日本語べんきょうします means exactly?